


Tactix

by t_dragon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - MAMA (Music Video), Alternate Universe - Powers, Minor Kim Myungsoo | L/Lee Sungjong
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-31 06:58:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12676743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dragon/pseuds/t_dragon
Summary: Kim Jongdae has a mission - to find the rest of the aliens he came to earth with. There's just one problem. A distraction of sorts...Zhang Liyin, his boss, and the most beautiful woman he has ever met.





	1. Chapter 1

Kim Jongdae was not a regular man. He looked like one, talked like one, walked like one, but he was far from one. He had no problems socializing, making people group around him, but most would run away, screaming their heads off, if they knew who he was.   
 Or rather, what.   
 Yes, Kim Jongdae was not a regular man, for Kim Jongdae was what most would call an alien. He came to earth a long time ago, along with eleven other boys, but in the process lost his memories of everything before. Just recently, he had begun remembering, and had taken it upon himself to help find the others.   
 Not an easy task on a planet with billions of people, especially not when you barely remembered what the others looked like. And to make matters worse, it had been years since they last saw each other.   
 Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, and looking over his shoulder, he saw a tall boy make his way over, bleached hair swaying with every step.   
 "Jongin," Jongdae greeted with a smile as the other stopped in front of him. "Any new leads?"   
 Jongin had been the first to awaken, to remember, and had set out to help wake the others up. It was a hard task to complete, but it was Jongin's, and he was not going to back down. Jongdae admired the younger's drive.   
 Jongin was chewing on his lower lip, humming slightly.   
 "Maybe... Minseok has been hearing some rumors," Jongin finally said. "Don't know the the level of truthfulness, but he's gone to check them out."   
 Jongdae crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall.   
 "Really? What kind of rumors?" he asked curiously.   
 Jongin gave a small smile, before looking up at Jongdae.   
 "Apparently there have been sightings of a person who can conjure flames out of thin air,” Jongin said, seemingly holding back a laugh. “‘Phoenix’ they are calling him.”

 “‘Phoenix’?” Jongdae echoed, lips pulling into a cat-like smirk. “Well, that’s, uhm, creative?”

 “Yeah, sure…,” Jongin said, chuckling and shaking his head. “Anyway, Minseok’s away to see if he can find the guy, and if he finds him, see if he’s  _ our _ guy. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. How’s it going on your end?”

 Jongdae gave a shrug. “Steady, I guess? They’re starting to trust me with more. I think I’ll get access to the system soon.”

 Jongin nodded slightly distractedly, rubbing his full lower lip with a finger.

 “Just… Be careful, okay, hyung?” Jongin said, worry clear in his eyes. “Don’t need to rescue you  _ again _ .”

 Jongdae gave a cheeky grin, winking at the younger boy. “I’m always careful!”

 Jongin simply rolled his eyes, lips pursed. “Yeah, sure…”

 “So little faith!” Jongdae gasped, putting a hand over his heart, before completely changing demeanor and going back to his normal preppy self. “But seriously, there’s nothing to worry about, Jongin, and I am being careful. Keep me updated on the new leads, okay?”

 Jongin gave a mock two-fingered salute, one corner of his mouth turned up, before he disappeared in a cloud of quickly dissipating smoke.  _ Must be neat, being able to teleport wherever you wanted _ , Jongdae thought to himself, before pushing himself off of the wall, and heading out of the alley.

 The spring night was cool and clear, much cooler than Jongdae had expected at this time of the year, but he did not mind too much. He hated how stuffy the suit was during the late spring and summer days, whilst now it was a welcomed protection when lacking a coat.

 As he was strolling down the streets of Seoul, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, Jongdae almost dropped it when seeing who the caller was.

 “Hello?” Jongdae answered, amazed by how unfazed he sounded, even though his heart was beating a thousand miles an hour.

 “Jongdae, I need you to come in now,” a female voice said, sounding agitated. “Like right  _ now _ now. If you could have been here an hour ago, that would be even better.”

 Jongdae almost snickered at the thought of how easily he  _ could _ have been there an hour ago, with the help of Jongin, but settled on a smile instead.

 “Got it, I’ll come as soon as I can, I’m not far,” Jongdae said, before ending the call.

 Stretching his arms above his head, looking more cat-like than human, Jongdae then set off in the opposite direction. Most people would balk at having to return to their office in the middle of the night, but Jongdae was not most people. It sounded like this might help him in his progress, and there was not much he would not do for her anyway. It was a weakness of his, but he could not bring himself to eliminating it.

 What the hell, a man had to have some fun dangers keeping him on his toes in his life, right?

 

 As he walked into the lobby ten minutes later, breathing slightly laboured after the quick walk over, Jongdae frowned. The security had increased tenfold since he had left earlier that afternoon, with guards standing both inside and outside of the glass double doors, and checkups extending to everyone, not just randomly selected people.

 After having been patted down and cleared, Jongdae hurried to his department, more than a little confused about what was going on. Bursting through the doors, he was met with feverish activity, people running to and fro, yelling over each other, the clicks of keys on keyboards heavy in the air.

 And in the middle of it all, dressed in a tight dress and high heels, was his boss.

 The one and only Zhang Liyin.

 Head of the IT department at SM, and the woman of all of Jongdae’s dreams.

 As Jongdae stood frozen in place, staring and daydreaming, said woman turned and spotted him, frown darkening her eyes.

 “Stop staring and get over here!” she called out, softly, but there was a deadly tone to it. Scrambling, Jongdae quickly followed the order.

 “What’s going on? You calling me in, and then all of this?” Jongdae asked, making vague gestures towards the busy room.

 “I don’t know the full extent of it, but I do know that we are somehow getting attacked,” Liyin said, tension clear in her entire body language. “On top of that, your  _ mentor _ is nowhere to be found. I don’t want to say there’s a connection…”

 “But you don’t believe in coincidences?” Jongdae offered, earning himself a short nod. “Okay, well, that still doesn’t explain why you personally called  _ me _ .”

 Liyin turned fully to pin Jongdae with a stare, a glint of something in her eyes.

 “Because I’ve seen what you can do. And you worked closely with Kyungtae, maybe you can help with that, too,” Liyin said, turning forwards again. “I’m giving his station over to you, don’t disappoint. If I find out, and I  _ will _ , that you are working with him…”

 Jongdae gulped at the unspoken threat. He had no idea what Liyin could possibly do to him, but he was pretty sure he would not like it.

 “Yes, ma’am!” he said, before scurrying over to the assigned desk and sitting down.

 The computer took some time booting up - not longer than most civilian PC’s, but this was not a civilian PC - and that was what set off the first warning bell in Jongdae’s mind. The way the screen dipped black for a fraction of a second after he wrote in the password seemed wrong, and the second bell began to ring.

 The operating system was a specially designed Linux-based system that was supposed to offer a hive-mind like connection between the computers in the the SM building, whilst at the same time keeping an impenetrable shell around them to prevent intrusions from the outside. Not all computers had the same access, but the different levels were at different deepnesses. Like the computers in the IT department that were supposed to watch over and protect the system; they had access to the entire shell of the system, but were unable to get access to the deeper files. They could pinpoint the location from where a certain file was being read, but not read the file. It was a very complex system, and even though Jongdae was mighty familiar with it by now, he still did not fully understand how it worked.

 He  _ did _ know, however, that this particular computer did not work as it should be working. Opening the task manager, Jongdae quickly confirmed his suspicions.

 It was a faint reading, but it was there. There was something else working in the depths of the computer, something unrelated to what Jongdae was seeing, and he had a feeling it was something bad.

 Looking up, he caught Liyin’s eye. Jongdae must have been looking as serious as he felt, for in the next heartbeat, Liyin was quickly making her way over.

 “What is it, did you find anything?” she asked, bending over slightly and letting her eyes scan the screen in front of her. When she saw nothing else than the task manager, she raised a brow and glanced over at Jongdae.

 Licking his lips, his mouth suddenly feeling very dried, Jongdae nodded at the screen as he moved the mouse to point at what he had noticed.

 “See this? This is not normal. This curve should not be this high. It’s barely noticeable, but it’s completely wrong,” Jongdae mumbled as Liyin took a second look, eyes widening a fraction. Jaw setting, she stood up straight, turning her attention on the others in the room.

 “I need everyone who has been working with Hwa Kyungtae in the last six months to please gather in meeting room 3, at this very moment,” she called out, getting the attention of everyone. “I know there are serious things going on right now, but drop everything and go there.” Looking down at Jongdae, she lowered her voice a fraction, as to not scream in his face. “This goes for you, too. Sorry, but-”

 “It’s a precaution, I know, I don’t blame you,” Jongdae said, lifting his hands from the keyboard and mouse and getting up. Before he walked away, he flashed Liyin a small smile. “I would have been more surprised if you didn’t send me off.”

 Liyin gave a nod, before turning her attention back to the screen in front of her. As Jongdae exited the room, Liyin was ordering one of her senior managers to take a look at the computer, and try to find out what was going on.

 

 Liyin placed both hands on the table in front of her, leaning onto them as she bored her eyes into the gathered people. There were ten other people there, excluding Jongdae and Liyin, and most looked more confused than him.

 Not that strange, really.

 “So,” Liyin began, deliberately pulling the word out. “I’m sure you are all wondering what you are doing here. Well, most of you, at least. You are all aware of the attack going on, but there are more happening behind the scenes. There has been found proof of suspicious activity from  _ within _ our own department. I think you can guess by now from whom, considering the reason for why I asked you all to gather here.”

 “Kyungtae has been doing an insider job?” one of the men asked, arms crossed over his chest. “Impossible! There’s no way that can be true!”

 “If Kyungtae has done it, then why are you looking at us like we had something to do with it? His  _ intern _ is the probable suspect!” one of the women said, shooting a glare in Jongdae’s direction. He simply raised both eyebrows, and kept quiet.

 “I don’t think Kyungtae did it, either,” another of the women said, eyes fluttering around the room, mostly in Jongdae’s direction. “What if his intern used Kyungtae’s computer to cover up his own tracks?”

 Liyin had silently been watching the exchange, eyes following every single thing they could pick up, and the several cameras positioned around the room catching everything  _ she _ did not.

 “What you say are all good arguments,” Liyin began slowly, looking at each person in turn, saving Jongdae for last. “I would rather  _ not _ believe that one of my most trusted staff member is playing a double agent, but the facts point towards him. And,” she said, quickly quieting the protest, “though I know that it is plausible that Jongdae planted the evidence in Kyungtae’s computer, it’s still just a possibility, and not a fact. Therefore, you are  _ all _ gathered here. And this is where you will stay until we can clear you.”

 The room fell silent as everyone realized what that meant. Hours, maybe days, until they were allowed to leave.

 “If you have anything, like noticing strange behaviors of Kyungtae lately, or of any in this room, or anything at all, please let me know and I will speak with you separately. Food and drinks will be brought in for you, and if you need to use the bathroom, we will arrange that,” Liyin said as she pushed off of the table, and headed towards the door.

 As soon as it clicked locked, a heavy groan was exhaled.

 “I can’t believe this is happening…,” one of the women whined.

 “Why are they keeping us, it’s obvious who the most likely suspect is,” one of the men said, dragging a hand through his hair.

 Ten pairs of eyes turned towards Jongdae, and he looked around in surprise.

 “What?” he asked, a half-amused smile on his lips. “You really think I have something to do with this?”

 One of the men shrugged, standing up. “You’re a new intern, you have access to Kyungtae’s computer, why not? More likely than any of us, or Kyungtae himself, for that matter.”

 Jongdae spluttered, straightening up in his chair.

 “I have nothing to with this! I was the one who found the suspicious activity!” Jongdae argued. “If I would have tried to pull a stunt like this, I sure as hell wouldn’t have done it whilst still interning!”

 “Of course you would have found the suspicious activity if it was you who placed it there!” another woman said. “Like it has been said, this could be you simply covering your own tracks!”

 Jongdae stood up, frustration coursing through him. It was funny how much he felt the need to defend himself, considering he actually was trying to infiltrate the company.

 “But, no, why would I do that whilst still interning, and why would I do it to my own mentor?” Jongdae stressed. “He’s even a no-show tonight, as if he knows what’s happening and staying away for his own good! I have nothing to do with this!”

 Another of the men stood up, towering above Jongdae. “Maybe he’s a no-show because you  _ disposed _ of him? So he couldn’t help find the evidence against  _ you _ ?”

 The situation was starting to feel dangerous, and it was even more dangerous considering the fact that Jongdae was locked in a room in  _ SM _ , where there was no chance he could use his powers to help if push came to shove. Neither could he afford to blow his cover by having Jongin or someone help him. Jongdae just prayed that no one would manage to him too badly before the security showed up.

 As if his prayer was answered a bit too early, the door suddenly burst open, security pouring inside with Liyin hot on their heels.

 “You all know how this works - Jongdae, and all of you, are innocent until proven guilty, and I will not have you beat innocent people up,” Liyin said in a bored voice as security pulled the men back, crowding around Jongdae and escorting him out. “Since you are so untrusting of him, I will put him in his own room and free you of his burden, but rest assured that if a fight actually breaks out in here, I will cuff all of you to your chairs, and then the bathroom trips will be exchanged for bottles. Behave. Are we clear?”

 Without waiting for an answer - knowing that she did not need a confirmation - Liyin turned and walked out of the room, security and Jongdae following closely behind.

 “Uh, thank you,” Jongdae finally found his voice to say. “For rescuing me, I mean.”

 Liyin barely threw an amused glance over her shoulder as she continued down the hallway, stopping outside of a door and unlocking it. Motioning for Jongdae to step inside, she gave him a sweet smile.

 “You’re welcome. If you are the the one responsible for this, or connected to it, I would rather want you alive to kill you myself,” she said, sending chills down Jongdae’s back.

 Liyin truly was a woman to be feared. It was no wonder she kept her employees in check without the need to raise her voice. Jongdae shivered once more after the door closed, sinking down into a chair.

 This was not good. This was not good at all.

 

 When Jongdae opened his eyes, he was confused. And very much so.

 Instead of sitting in a chair in a conference room, he was standing in a greyish room, fog obscuring and making it hard to see where the edges actually were. In the middle of several floating spheres stood a man, silently watching Jongdae.

 “Luhan?” Jongdae asked, looking around. “Where are we?”

 Luhan shrugged and smiled, looking like an angel descended from heaven.

 “Nowhere and everywhere. It’s confusing to explain,” Luhan said, and Jongdae dropped it. His head was hurting enough as it was already. “Jongin wanted me to check in on you. Don’t worry, you’re asleep in the conference room, they don’t know what’s going on.” There was a pause. “What is going on, really?”

 Jongdae sighed and dragged a hand across his face. “I honestly don’t know. I think someone is trying to breach the SM database. My department seems to be on high alert. And then my mentor at SM might actually be a double agent, and they suspect I might be one, too.”

 Luhan quirked an eyebrow, gentle smile turning more teasing. “Aren’t you?”

 “Well, yes, but not involved in this,” Jongdae answered, unable to keep the smile at bay.

 “Okay. Do you want Jongin to come get you?”

 Jongdae shook his head, curiously looking closer at one of the orbs closest to him. “No, that will blow my cover, and I have nothing to do with this anyway. Hey, is that me?”

 Luhan raised a hand, and the orb grew in size until Jongdae could see that yes, indeed, it was him. But the him in the conference room at SM.

 “I keep tabs on you. How else do you think I know everything that happens?” Luhan said, amusement clear in his voice.

 Jongdae flashed him a grin. “I’m very glad that you do, but I hope it doesn’t mean at all times?”

 Luhan said nothing, but if the slight twitch of one of his eyebrows and the way he pursed his still smiling lips were any indication, nothing much escaped Luhan’s watch. Jongdae groaned.

 “I’ll tell Jongin to stay put. If you need me, I’ll be here,” Luhan said, placing a slender hand on Jongdae’s shoulder. “Stay safe, be careful. I’d rather pull you out before something happens.”

 Jongdae rolled his eyes, giving a dry grin. “Nobody has any faith in me… Don’t worry, I’m not going to risk my life for this. There are other ways, and if it comes to that, so be it. But right now, there is no danger.”

 Luhan gave a nod, and the next time Jongdae blinked, the conference room awaited him on the other side of opened eyelids.

 As well as a beautiful face that had Jongdae gulping and pushing backwards in a futile attempt to escape.

_ Luhan, could have given me a warning! _ , Jongdae thought to himself as he sat up straight, heart thundering in his chest. He thought he heard a low chuckle in his head, but he was not sure. He had other things to worry about anyway.

 “How much sleep did you get between going home and being called back?” Liyin asked in a low voice, eyes searching Jongdae’s face.

 “Uh, none?” Jongdae said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

 Liyin’s lips pursed and she gave a sigh before sitting down. “No wonder you fell asleep after all of that excitement, then… I just came to see if you needed anything, and to let you know that I’ve received several reports from the others about… strange behaviors of yours.”

 Jongdae rolled his eyes - of course they would throw him into the fire.

 “Most of them are stupid - childish attempts to try to paint you in a bad light,” Liyin continued, placing her chin on delicate fingers. “Some are… Strange. Why did you apply for an internship at SM?”

 Jongdae shrugged, lacing his fingers together in his lap. “SM is a well-respected company that is always amongst the front in different areas, and your OS seemed really interesting. An internship here could open many doors in other places, if you decide not to keep me.”

 Liyin kept watching him, and Jongdae got the strange feeling that she was seeing straight through him - into his soul. But that was silly. Just a trick of the mind.

 Finally, a small smile broke out on her lips, and Liyin leaned back in the chair. “I have to say, Jongdae, that I’m a bit disappointed in your answer. It seems a bit too… plain for you. You are talented, there’s no denying that, and just applying because of the doors it might open? Because of our system? Hm… Yes, seems like quite the bland reasons. But I understand, sometimes you can’t afford to think big.”

 Surprisingly, Jongdae felt a blush come over his cheeks at the compliment.

 “I don’t think I can agree with your words, I’m actually quite surprised I even got into SM,” Jongdae said, looking away with a wistful smile on his lips. “My grades weren’t perfect, just above average…”

 Liyin waved a hand dismissively. “We don’t care about grades, not everything can be measured accurately with a system like the school system. Bill Gates never even went to college, but he’s the richest man in the world right now. No, talent doesn’t have to mean an aced education, or an education at all. We’ve employed former hackers, even! Take the compliment, and don’t be shy about it. You are good at this stuff.”

 The blush did not let up, and Jongdae felt that it was time to change the subject.

 Clearing his throat, he leaned on his arms on the table, keeping his eyes on his hands.

 “Uh, so, how’s it coming along with Kyungtae’s computer?” Jongdae asked.

 “Well, we discovered a hidden partition running another OS deep within it. Specially developed, it seems, so as to barely show up on any readings,” Liyin said.

 Jongdae’s eyes flew to her, and seeing as she seemed completely serious, his jaw dropped.

 “Wh-what? Are you serious?” Jongdae stammered. “But… The reading I saw, it was almost too small for a program, not nearly enough for a whole OS… Are you sure?”

 Liyin raised one perfect eyebrow. “Of course I’m sure. I am the head of the IT department, after all. I should know this.”

 Still shocked, Jongdae fell back against the chair, running a hand through his hair.

 “But, no, that doesn’t work… You can’t hide an entire, working OS just as a small app-like program… That’s impossible, unless you re-route part of it somewhere else…,” he mumbled, mostly to himself.

 “Tell me, Jongdae,” Liyin said suddenly, bringing him back to the present. “What did you minor in?”

 “Uh, vocals,” Jongdae asked, tilting his head. It seemed like everything was getting more confusing by the minute. “Why?”

 Liyin gave him a small smile. “Oh, I just hoped you wouldn’t say acting or something, so I could believe that this reaction was honest. You’re right, the entirety of the OS was not on Kyungtae’s computer. He was re-routing some of it to yours. It seemed like the password you used activated the computer to put most of the OS power on your computer, since they are connected already. Maybe in an attempt to incriminate you. Well, the joke’s on him. I suspected he might have pulled something like that, and found out that when you started up the computer, you got to a password screen that handled two different pieces. If it had been you who had been this… ‘spy’, it probably would have been on your computer, since it was you who needed access to it. Not Kyungtae. And even if it was you, you would have written the other password to make sure that most of the OS was on Kyungtae’s computer to incriminate him.”

 Jongdae just stared at Liyin, wonder and amazement in his eyes.

 “But, it could just be a ploy to make sure we wouldn’t suspect you, but I don’t think you’re smart enough for that…,” Liyin finished, smile stretching slightly.

 Jongdae slammed his mouth shut. “I think I liked it better when you complimented my intellect instead of insulting it…”

 Liyin gave a light chuckle, and it nestled its way straight into Jongdae’s heart.

 “Well, there’s different kinds of intellects, and I just insulted one of them,” she said, in an almost  _ teasing _ tone. Jongdae was blown away. “Anyway. We haven’t cleared you completely yet, we’re focusing on trying to see the damage Kyungtae’s OS has done. Or whatever it was supposed to do. Unfortunately, that means you still have a few hours ahead of you in here.”

 Jongdae grinned, stretching his arms out above his head.

 “Means I have time for sleeping, I’m totally fine with it!”

 “Maybe I should have placed you in a room with a sofa,” Liyin said with a smile as she got up from her chair. “You’re taking this better than the others, though.”

 Jongdae shrugged. “I know I’m innocent, and I know I will be cleared sooner or later, but I also know how devastating this could be. I mean, I have no idea what kind of stuff SM deals with deep down, but considering the complicated infrastructure of this place, I don’t think I’m that far off with my guess that it’s something… Important…”

 Liyin hummed as she moved over to the door, opening it before stopping and looking over at Jongdae.

 “Like I said, you’re a smart one,” she simply said, before walking outside and closing the door behind her.

 To say that Jongdae was shocked was an understatement. Jongdae was completely obliterated. Of course he had seen Liyin’s more playful side - he had been interning for almost seven months now - but it has never been aimed at him like this and for so long before.

 “Jeez, calm down…,” he mumbled, placing a hand over his racing heart.

 ‘ _ Be careful in the presence of Chinese women _ ,’ Luhan’s voice said in Jongdae’s mind. ‘ _ Remember that our empresses have been some of the most feared rulers… _ ’

 Jongdae burst out laughing, shaking his head. Yeah, he would have to keep that in mind.

 

 “Poor boy,” Myungsoo said as Liyin entered the monitoring room.

 Liyin raised a questioning brow in the man’s direction as she sat down in a chair next to him, her eyes on the screens in front of them.

 “Kim Jongdae,” Myungsoo said, clicking his tongue. “He’s head over heels over you, it’s obvious!”

 Liyin turned her gaze on the screen Myungsoo was pointing towards, the screen containing the security feed for the room Jongdae was currently in. As she watched, she saw him give a laugh, shaking his head to himself.  _ Strange. _

 “He has a flirting kind of personality,” Liyin said, denying Myungsoo’s words. “He’s like that with everyone.”

 Myungsoo spun his chair around to fully face Liyin, both eyebrows raised.

 “Bull. Shit. Sure, flirty personality, but you’re forgetting that I see  _ everything _ . I’ve seen the way he watches you. I’ve seen the way he softens when he speaks to you. It is  _ nothing _ like how he acts with other people. You can deny it how much you like,” Myungsoo said, shrugging, “but I know the truth. One of the perks with this job, you know.”

 Liyin shot Myungsoo a glare, choosing not to answer him, and instead turned her attention on the other conference room.

 “Have you seen anything fun from them, then?” she asked, nodding. Not that it was necessary, Myungsoo knew what she was talking about.

 A small smirk spread on his lips as he leaned back in his chair, finger drumming a short melody on his desk.

 “Well… I have to say, even though your love life is extremely interesting to watch, miss Zhang, it is nothing against what has been going on in  _ that _ room,” Myungsoo said, pointing at the screen. “It’s like a soap opera! We have the girl having a mental breakdown, crying in a corner. We have the guy having a mental breakdown, screaming at said girl. We have the man who’s completely decked, sleeping on the table. Then we have the woman who is trying to rile everyone up, talking about this and that rumor, and then the egghead who is listening to every word she’s saying. That’s half of them, full of clichés.”

 “And the other half?” Liyin asked.

 “Surprisingly calm,” Myungsoo answered. “Four men and one woman. Ice cold. Well, not ice cold, they seem pretty nervous, but they’re in better shape than the others, more on the level of your loverboy Jongdae. I would say that the former half is mostly innocent, and that the culprit - if there is one - is in the other half. That unfortunately includes dear Jongdae. He’s a main suspect just by association through interning, after all.”

 Liyin placed a finger over her lips, eyes darting between the two conference room screens.

 “What do you think about Jongdae? Suspicious? Guilty?” Liyin asked after a few minutes, turning to Myungsoo.

 The other shrugged. “Suspicious through his relationship to Kyungtae, of course. But who is stupid enough to set a plan like this into motion whilst still interning? You know as well as I do that that kid can go far here, more easily gain better access to the system. Why risk it all now?”

 Liyin raised an amused eyebrow. “‘That kid’? He’s the same age as you, Myungsoo.”

 Myungsoo reached for the ball that was laying by his keyboard, throwing it up into the air and catching it again.

 “Yeah, well, I feel old as fuck, so. My back aches, and my hip aches, and my eyes are bad. He looks and seems a thousand years younger than me, so I call him ‘kid’.”

 “You know the company pays for desks you can lower and raise, in an attempt to prevent bodily pains, right?” Liyin mused. Myungsoo waved her words away.

 “Those are awful, and I’m lazy! You know that! If I’m dying, I would rather do it sitting down than standing up!”

 Liyin gave a low laugh as she got out of the chair and headed for the door.

 “Great talk, Myungsoo. Thanks for the input, let me know if something comes up.”

 “Yes, ma’am,” Myungsoo answered, giving a mock salute that Liyin did not see.

 

 Jongdae had no idea how much time passed. He spent it all drifting in and out of sleep - who knew it was so uncomfortable to sleep sitting up? Well, he did, he had often fallen asleep whilst at the university, but it was a long time ago now.

 The door opened and Jongdae blinked the sleep out of his eyes, clearing his throat. Liyin peeked inside, not bothering with fully stepping in.

 “We’re getting some food for the others, you hungry?” she asked, and Jongdae gave a nod as he rubbed an eye. “Anything in particular?”

 “I’m not picky,” Jongdae answered with a smile, voice slightly rough.

 Liyin gave a nod, before stepping back and closing the door again.

 With a jawn, Jongdae stretched out his back, wincing as he heard and felt the cracks. Standing up, he began stretching his hips and legs, too. He was in the middle of a very deep hip rotation when the door once more opened and Liyin stepped inside, carrying a bottle of water.

 Jongdae froze, pelvis thrust outwards and hands on his hips, whilst Liyin simply took one look at him, before walking over to the table and putting the water bottle down.

 “Stretching is good for you, keep it up,” she said, giving a thumbs up, before exiting the room.

 As soon as she did, Jongdae collapsed in an embarrassed heap on the floor, clutching his head in his hands.

 “Fuuuuuuuck,” he exhaled, face literally burning up.

 In another room a bit further down the corridor, Myungsoo was almost falling off his chair laughing, gasping for air and clutching his stomach. Yes, Myungsoo deeply enjoyed his job.


	2. Chapter 2

 Thankfully, it was one of the guards that brought Jongdae’s food to him. He had still not recovered from before and wondered what Liyin was thinking about him now, but he felt too embarrassed to see her.

 After he had finished his food, Jongdae sat back in his chair, contemplating going back to sleep. It was uncomfortable, but it shortened his wait. Or he could check in with Luhan, and see how Minseok’s search was going.

 Before Jongdae was able to decide, though, there was a knock on the door, and then it opened slightly.

 “Are you busy, or can I come in?” came Liyin’s voice, and it was so heavily laced with amusement that Jongdae had to bite back a groan.

 “I, uh, I’m not busy or anything,” Jongdae answered, voice wavering slightly.

 The door opened a bit more, and Liyin stepped inside, eyes twinkling and a small smile curving her lips.

 “I’m sorry for just barging inside like that last time, but it’s good to see that at least someone is taking their stretching serious,” Liyin said, eyes darting over to one of the security cameras. Jongdae wondered why she did that, whilst Myungsoo snorted on the other side of the camera feed.

 “Yeah, uh, sorry about… Well, yeah,” Jongdae stammered, scratching the back of his neck as his cheeks began to heat up again. “And you don’t have to apologize, it’s not like you expected seeing me in such a compromising position whilst keeping me under surveillance during an investigation!”

 Liyin sat down in a chair on the other side of the table from Jongdae, her smile deepening.

 “Okay, then, we’ve both apologized and both of us think that the other have nothing to apologize for, so let’s drop this,” Liyin said softly. “How does that sound?”

 Jongdae let out a low chuckle, relaxing a bit. “That sounds like a very good plan, I think.”

 “Good. Because I need your help,” Liyin said, and just like that, she was back in serious boss mode. “We’ve been able to establish that Kyungtae somehow planted a second OS on his computer that was able to hack into parts of the system without us knowing or seeing anything. We’ve also been able to establish that the part of it residing on your computer was completely invisible to you - you could not get into it from your computer, actually. Which leans heavily in the favor of you not knowing any of this, and you not being his accomplish. I mean, if you knew, and needed to do something in that OS for him, you would have to use his computer, and that is probably a too complicated route to take when you could just have had a backdoor into the part on your PC. I’m willing to believe that you are completely innocent in this, but I need the proof for it.”

 Jongdae nodded, braiding his fingers together and putting his hands on top of the table. Not that he was completely innocent, but at least innocent enough in this situation.

 “I need to know if you saw any suspicious activity from Kyungtae’s side, or any of the people he worked with. Or anyone in my department at all. Even people from other departments, if you saw something, you need to tell me. You don’t have to be scared of making higher-ups angry with you, what you say here is completely confidential. Only I and my surveillance chief will know of what you’ve said, and he has pledged his silence to me,” Liyin said, eyes boring into Jongdae. “I just need some leads to know where to go, where to look. If you have anything.”

 Jongdae chewed on his lower lip for a moment as he glanced away.

 “I’m… not afraid of making people here angry by telling the truth. And if I knew anything, I would tell you. The thing is, even though I was his intern, Kyungtae only brought me along for the necessary things. Sometimes he would go on meetings or lunch or whatever, and tell me that he might be gone for a while, but he never told me who he would meet. As far as I know, he’s not married or engaged or anything like that, so that’s the most suspicious thing I can remember I’ve seen him do. Otherwise… He was pretty secretive, and I’m sorry I don’t know more.”

 Liyin nodded slowly, her gaze miles away for a few seconds, before snapping back to Jongdae.

 “Do you remember when these meetings were? Like the recent ones? I understand if you don’t remember them all, but even just a few would be a great help,” Liyin said, and Jongdae nodded.

 “The most recent one was today, actually. He went away during lunch, but didn’t come back before I went home,” Jongdae said. “Then it was last Wednesday, and then the Thursday before that, if I’m not mistaken.”

 Liyin smiled and got up from her chair again. “Thank you, Jongdae. Hopefully this will help, and we’ll soon have you out of here. The heavens know I could use all the help I can get… I’ll be back later, just knock on the door if you need something.”

 And then she left the room, leaving Jongdae alone once more.

 

 This time, when Jongdae opened his eyes, he was better prepared for the shift in scenery. Jongin had wanted an update, and so, Luhan had relayed the information to Jongdae, who had told him that he was alone and could join them.

 But when Jongdae arrived, there were only Luhan and Minseok in the room, standing a few meters away from Jongdae, off-center, and engaged in a serious discussion in Chinese. Jongdae managed to pick up a word here and there, his Chinese incredibly rusty, but it was not enough to give him a clue to what they were talking about. In the end, he did not bother trying to find out, but let them have their privacy.

 A few minutes later, the discussion was apparently over, since both men stood silent, looking at each other with frowns on their faces. It almost seemed as if they were waging a silent war of wills, and Jongdae was more than a little confused. Fortunately, Jongin chose that moment to pop inside, giving Jongdae something else not quite as awkward to focus on.

 “Wait, you can teleport into here? I thought we were in Luhan’s mind or something!” Jongdae exclaimed, mouth open in awe.

 Jongin shot him a grin, shaking his head. “No, not in his mind, but more like another dimension. I see you’re still alive. Good. Minseok-hyung, how’s your search going?”

 It took Minseok a second to pull his eyes away from Luhan, jaw clenched and hands fisted.

 “Fine. I’ve gotten a lead that I’m following, and I seem to not be too far behind. It seems like he’s searching for something. Is it possible that he’s regained his memories, or at least some of them, and is searching for us or something?” Minseok said, sounding slightly pissed.

 Jongdae was very curious to what was going on with him and Luhan now. He did not know either too deeply, but they had always seemed like friends. Guess something had gone wrong…

 Jongin hummed as he crossed his arms over his chest, nodding slowly. “Well, yes, the possibility is there. Jongdae had recovered partial memories in the form of dreams when we met the first time. You two probably also remembered snippets that you could not place, or simply ignored. It’s time for us to wake up now, and so, the process has begun in all of us. I can’t unlock it all, I can only accelerate the process for you, which is why you guys remember what you are and where you’re from, why you can control your powers so well, but also why you can’t remember the others as well.”

 “Do you remember all of us?” Jongdae piped up, the thought flashing into his mind.

 Jongin looked at him, a small, almost sad, smile on his lips.

 “Yes. I remember you all. It’s my duty, my burden. I can remember you all, but I’m still unable to find you easier. I can feel you all pull on my mind, but I’m unable to help you… At least we’re four now, maybe five soon.”

 “Just seven to go after that, then,” Luhan mumbled, looking thoughtful.

 “Yeah. But the more we wake up, the easier it’ll become to find the rest. And the sooner we’ll get our full memories back,” Jongin said, smiling softly, and Jongdae felt oddly reassured. “But, for now, Jongdae, do you need me to get you?”

 Jongdae shook his head.

 “I’m doing just fine. I’m innocent in all of this, and though I planned on breaking into the files later, I hadn’t begun any of it since I’m still just an intern, so they can’t accidentally discover something that incriminates me. I’m completely safe.”

 “If you say so. You know we can get you out, but if I’m in the middle of something, it might be a bit delayed. So if you find yourself in a dangerous situation, please let Luhan know in time. Like, before you know if the situation will actually be dangerous to you or not, to make sure I can come get you in time. Understood?”

 “Yes, sir,” Jongdae drawled, giving a mock salute. “You know, sometimes I feel like you’re the older out of us…”

 Jongin gave a grin that made him look at least five years younger, before poofing out, and Jongdae opened his eyes to the conference room he was locked into again.

 

 “I mean, it certainly seems like he has a pretty nice bod beneath all that clothing.”

 A low voice close to Liyin’s ear startled her, making her look to her side in annoyance. Myungsoo was grinning mischievously at her, wiggling his eyebrows.

 Jongdae had recently woken up again after a short nap, and was sitting with his arms stretched above his head and backwards. His suit jacket was thrown over another chair, and even though shirts could distort body shapes, the way the white material formed around his arms, it was obvious that Jongdae had some strength to them.

 “Remember that I have the phone number to your spouse,” Liyin said, a warning tone in her voice, and all color drained from Myungsoo’s face.

 “You can’t make threats like that! You know what would happen to me!” Myungsoo gasped. “And you know you would miss me, your favorite surveillance officer!”

 Liyin gave a shrugged as she turned back to the screens. “Might do you good to learn your place. How’s it going with the surveillance that I requested?”

 Myungsoo pointed towards another screen, where a loading bar was slowly being filled.

 “Loading right now, there’s a lot of data to go through. Do you know how many cameras there are in this building? How much that get recorded during a day? And that I don’t even have access to like half of it?”

 “Yes, I do, it’s one of your favorite subjects, Mr. Conspiracy Theorist,” Liyin said, giving Myungsoo a sweet smile. “I still don’t understand why you work here, or how they are so sure you won’t try anything stupid.”

 “Well, better to keep your enemies close, I guess? If I work here, I’m under contract to not release anything, and if I even try, they could punish me so severely I’d be better off dead,” Myungsoo said, shrugging. “I prefer it like this, too, actually. I get to have access to juicy secrets, knowing that I’m the only one who knows. It’s a powerful feeling.”

 “Fair enough… I think the search finished,” Liyin said, pointing towards the screen that had previously housed the loading bar, but was now black.

 Myungsoo immediately turned around, typing something into the computer, and pulled up the file manager with different kinds of video clips.

 “So, let’s start with today, shall we?” he mumbled to himself as he looked through the clips, and double clicked on the right one. “This is from the camera outside of your department from around the same time as Kyungtae should have left it, according to lover boy.”

 Liyin focused on the video, but it did not show anything besides Kyungtae leaving, confirming Jongdae telling the truth. There was no one going out of the department for at least fifteen minutes after Kyungtae left, so the possibility of him meeting with anyone from there was slim.

 “Maybe this one…,” Myungsoo said, pulling up another video, this one showing the entrance.

 Kyungtae did not show up in that video at all, and nothing else looked out of the ordinary.

 “He probably used the parking garage,” Liyin mumbled, and Myungsoo pulled up the video corresponding to that place.

 Sure enough, they got a quick view of Kyungtae on that video, but he went out of frame quickly.

 “Wait, let me look up which cameras are positioned in the parking garage, so we can find the right videos,” Myungsoo said, pulling up a sketch where different things were marked, including the surveillance cameras. Looking through it and mumbling to himself, Myungsoo marked the right videos and pulled all of them up on the same screen, and they got to work looking for the man.

 What they did not expect, though, was the other man sneaking up on Kyungtae, forcing him to get into the trunk of his own car, before the trigger on a gun was pulled. Kyungtae’s murder was obscured, but there was no doubt about what it was. Feeling a bit nauseous, Liyin told Myungsoo to let security know about the deed, and to go look in the car.

 “I guess we know why he was uncontactable,” Myungsoo said in a low voice, looking more serious than Liyin had ever seen him. “At least we know Jongdae did not kill him. I’ll look through the surveillance feed from around the area before and after the… Uh, murder, to see if I can get a better look at the other person. Go and ask Jongdae about this, judge his reaction to see if he knew about it or not.”

 “Sounds like a good plan,” Liyin muttered, feeling a bit faint but still getting up from the chair. “Look at the feed when I ask him, you’re better at seeing such stuff than me. And make sure to look quite a while back on the surveillance for the other person, they might have been in hiding for quite some time. Poor Kyungtae…”

 Myungsoo placed a hand on Liyin’s arm, offering her a small smile.

 “I know it’s kind of horrible, but he might have brought this upon himself, and he was a traitor, after all… He didn’t deserve to die in the back of his own car, but he wasn’t innocent, either. I’ll let you know if I find something, both on the surveillance and Jongdae.”

 Liyin nodded, before steeling herself and walking out of the office.

 

 When the door opened, Jongdae was a bit surprised seeing Liyin looking so somber. Sure, there was a whole lot going on right now, but something looked off. Something looked wrong.

 “Are you okay?” Jongdae asked as Liyin sat down across from him, but she ignored his question.

 “Jongdae… You told me that Kyungtae went out for lunch today, but never returned, right? Do you have any idea why he wouldn’t return? Did it happen more than once that he failed to come back?” Liyin asked, focused eyes on Jongdae, and he felt a bit uncomfortable behind the intense stare.

 “Well, no, not really… Sometimes it took him longer to return, but he always came back in the end. He’s on payroll, after all, he can’t just do whatever he wants,” Jongdae answered, his heart picking up speed. “Why? Did something happen? Have you found him?”

 Liyin looked down at her hands, slowly slotting her fingers together, before sighing and looking up at Jongdae.

 “Yes. We think we might have found him. In his car. It seems as if he was shot earlier today, whilst going out for his lunch break.”

 It took a few seconds for the information to fully sink in, and Jongdae could just stare at Liyin in shock. Then he gave a shaky laugh.

 “No, that’s impossible. I mean, must be. We would’ve known earlier if he was murdered in his car. Somebody had to see something, or at least his body, and let security or the police know. Are you testing me, or something? Because I don’t believe you. It’s impossible.”

 Jongdae was not overly attached to his mentor, but Kyungtae had been nice to him, taking him under his wing and helping Jongdae tremendously. If not for Kyungtae, Jongdae might not be as well-versed with the system as he was now. So he felt quite saddened by Liyin’s words.

 “He was pushed into the back of his car, into his trunk, and shot, Jongdae,” Liyin said in a silent voice, but it carried over to Jongdae nevertheless. “No one could have seen his body, unless his trunk was opened, and it had probably not started to smell by the time most went home. If the car is airtight enough, it might not smell even now.”

 Jongdae was baffled by what he was being told, and a part of him  _ still _ did not believe Liyin. But something in her voice, in the expression on her face, hit home, and Jongdae took a few gasping breaths, looking around but not finding anything to look at.

 “I… I can’t believe it… He got… shot? Murdered? Why? Why would someone do that?” he whispered, mostly to himself, but Liyin answered him.

 “I believe it might have something to do with what he was doing here. Maybe the person, his accomplice, got tired of him or something, and decided to eliminate him? Get rid of loose ends?” Liyin said, rubbing a hand over her forehead and looking incredibly tired. “I don’t know, but he was, and now this is a whole other mess… At least you seem honest in your reaction, and that’s good.”

 It was not until Liyin was standing up and walking over to the door that Jongdae understood what she meant.

 “You told me just to gauge my reaction? To see if I would give myself away if it happened to be me who killed him?” Jongdae asked, feeling a bit angry. “He was my mentor! Of course I would not kill him! To take advantage of a situation like that for this… That’s… I can’t…”

 Liyin came to a stop, one hand on the door handle, not turning to look at Jongdae as she spoke.

 “Every single person beneath my command is a suspect right now. Anyone could have done it, and I need to make sure, no matter with what tools I use, that I find the responsible person. Even if it means doing this, using Kyungtae’s death against you. I would say I’m sorry, and in a way, I am, but at the same time, it might have cleared your name, Jongdae.”

 With that, Liyin left, leaving Jongdae to grieve in peace.

 

 It was a heavy heart that Liyin listened to the security’s report on Kyungtae. The cameras had not lied - he had been killed earlier that day and dumped into his car. By the time security had surrounded the car, it had started to smell some, but not enough to warrant any real concern.

 As they were speaking, the police had been called to take care of the crime scene, and Liyin hoped that they would be able to find at least some clue. But until they did, Liyin had a room full of suspects to tend to.

 Sighing, Liyin massaged her temples to try to rid herself of the horrible headache that was quickly approaching. She had not gotten any sleep so far, and it was nearing 1AM already. She just wished she could lie down in her bed and get some sleep… But unfortunately, she had a job to do. After all, it was her department that was the cause of the company-wide panic, and it was her job to take care of it.

 Her pager beeped, and looking down at it, Liyin frowned. Myungsoo was paging her, and it seemed urgent. Why had he not called her?

 Pushing her questions aside, Liyin made her way towards the surveillance office, wishing it was good news. Or any news, for that matter. She could really need any right now…

 

 Kim Myungsoo was good at his job. He had a great eye for details, and that was probably why he had managed to reach the position he was in, at his age. Because even though he complained a lot about how old he felt, he was only a mere twenty-five years old. To be surveillance chief at that age, Myungsoo was rather proud of himself.

 And it was moments like these that once again proved that indeed, he was the right man for the job.

 Looking at the surveillance videos from the times Jongdae had told them that Kyungtae had gone out for lunch, Myungsoo began to notice a pattern. A pattern that had to do with someone Myungsoo really could not say he was surprised to realize was in on this.

 “What is it?” Liyin asked, as she peeked into his office, and Myungsoo quickly motioned for her to step inside and close the door.

 Frowning, she nevertheless did as told, collapsing down into one of the free chairs next to Myungsoo’s.

 “There’s unopened water over there, and painkillers there,” Myungsoo mumbled, pointing in two different directions, eyes still trained on his screen.

 Thankfully accepting, Liyin took the pills, before once more sitting down next to Myungsoo.

 “So, you’ve found something?” she asked, eyes glancing over the different screens showcasing different things.

 “Yeah, I did… I checked the days confirmed for Kyungtae’s lunch dates, and found a few more Jongdae did not know of, or had forgotten,” Myungsoo said, eyes flicking back and forth. “Then I noticed something, or rather  _ someone _ , and that got me thinking. After looking up a few things, I realized that it’s matching.”

 “What’s matching?” Liyin asked, a bit confused by Myungsoo. He was talking so fast Liyin barely was able to keep up.

 “Kyungtae’s lunch dates, and Wu Yifan’s visits to South Korea. Or, specifically, Wu Yifan’s visits to Seoul.”

 

 Jongdae was bored. He had slept as much as he thought he was able to handle, eaten once again, went on a quick bathroom break, and now he was bored. His butt was aching from all the sitting down he had done, so he decided to take a walk.

 The walk consisted of Jongdae walking around the conference table, but at least it was something. He wished he had a ball or something, to play around with…

 No. Actually, he wished he knew what was going. It had been hours since last he had seen Liyin, and that might be a good sign, but Jongdae did not know. He did not know anything about what was going on, except for the fact that it was three in the morning, and he was still looked into this room.

 But no news were good news, right?

 Jongdae tried to convince himself of this as the door once more opened, to let an exhausted-looking Liyin inside. Quickly, Jongdae hurried over to the chair closest to her, pulling it out and offering it to her. Giving him a grateful look, Liyin sat down in it, dragging a hand through her hair. Some time during their time apart, she had taken it down, and it was now flowing over her shoulders like black water, and dammit, Jongdae really needed to control himself!

 “It seems, Kim Jongdae, like your name has been cleared,” Liyin began, glancing over at said male sitting across from her. “There is no suspicious behavior from you, and more or less every of your colleague agrees with this. Except for ten of them currently locked into a similar room, but most of them have come around after I told them that Kyungtae was murdered during his lunch break, and they remembered seeing you around…”

 Jongdae felt relief bloom in his chest, but it was still hindered by something. Was he feeling guilty over the fact that he was not actually as innocent as they believed him to be? Or was it because of Kyungtae’s death? Jongdae did not know.

 “So, you’re free to go. Though, if you decide to stay and help, I could use you…,” Liyin slowly said, and Jongdae realized that she was giving him the choice of leaving this mess behind, to let others help take care of it.

 Fat chance.

 “Count me in, ma’am,” Jongdae said with a small grin, mirrored by a grin from Liyin.

 “Well, then. Come with me.”

 

 “Jongdae, this is Myungsoo, surveillance officer, and from now on and until I say so, your new boss.”

 Jongdae looked down at the unfamiliar man with a slight pout, as he realized that he would not actually be working with Liyin. Even during these circumstances, he could not keep himself from hoping for a workplace romance… He was such a dork.

 “He’ll fill you in on what you need to do, but please remember, do not breathe a word of this to anyone else,” Liyin said, moving towards the door. “Let me know as soon as you find something substantial.”

 Myungsoo gave the IT department head a small nod, turning to Jongdae with a mischievous smirk as they were left alone.

 “I understand your disappointment, but seriously, do you really have to look that offended?” Myungsoo asked, making Jongdae choke. “Ah, calm down, of course I know of your little crush. I watch over you guys day in and day out, I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t know about the little romances going on in the offices!”

 “Really?” Jongdae asked, sitting down as curiosity made him forget himself. “That would be great in the bets going around, you know!”

 Myungsoo leaned forwards and gave a small wink, rolling a ball between his hands.

 A ball that looked like the Death Star.

 “I know, but I would be accused of cheating if I ever joined… I can tell you, though, that your bets are looking pretty good. You might cash in on them in the next few days… If we manage to get out of this mess alive.”

 Jongdae was quickly brought back to the matter at hand, eyes glancing over towards the several screens covering the area in front of Myungsoo. There were blurry security camera footage on a few of them, and Jongdae could just barely make out a face.

 “Who’s that?” he asked, turning to Myungsoo.

 “That is our new suspect,” Myungsoo said, turning back towards his computer and pulling some files up on the screens. “Wu Yifan, also going by the name Kris Wu. His father’s company is shareholder in this very company, and also, maybe not so surprisingly, heavily involved with the Chinese mafia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part, whoo! I'll try to not take another half a year to update, but... Can't promise anything, lol! Shouldn't be that long, though, I'm getting into it again! It's a pretty exciting concept, actually, I just wish I had held off on it a bit more... But that was in the past, no use in crying over spilled milk!

**Author's Note:**

> So this was actually published on AFF back in May, but... Put in draft mode for a few months. Now I'm back, with the second part almost completed, and thought to myself that I should put it here on AO3 as well. You might be able to see differences in the writing, about halfway through part two is where it will probably be the most noticeable, since that's where I stopped and then started writing again, lol... Hopefully it's not too bad~!


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